Abstract
The historical development of the Afromexican population is hardly known in contemporary Mexico, except for modern day social activists and a nascent body of researchers who have made progress in unearthing pieces of this story, the rest of the people remains unaware. While it is well known the subjugation of the native people and the introduction of slaves into New Spain starting in the XVI century, there is scant awareness of the latter’s contribution to the economic and social foundations of the nation. Aside from vague references about their importance to the colonial labor force, Afromexicans were not integrated into the historical narrative of the country. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how Afromexicans ceased to exist in the annals of Mexican history after three hundred years of their physical introduction to New Spain. In the quest to create a nation out of more than 350 different original groups and the perception that European and European descendants were superior to the native and Black populations, the builders of the new independent nation erased from history a whole demographic group. It is only in last few years, and two hundred years since independence, that Mexicans are beginning to learn about their past and present-day Afrodescendants in their country. Both the concepts of nation-building and the ideology of mestizaje (race mixing) are used as frameworks to analyze this socio-political phenomenon.
Presenters
Magdaleno ManzanárezVice President and Professor, External Affairs, Western New Mexico University, New Mexico, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
TEACHING, DIVERSITY, IDENTITY, AFRO-DESCENDANT, MEXICO
